NIM41350 - Home Responsibilities Protection: what is HRP and who qualifies for it: claiming HRP

Regulation 2 of the Social Security Pensions (Home Responsibilities) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994 No. 704) 

Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was a scheme to help protect parents’ and carers’ State Pension and was available from 6 April 1978 to 5 April 2010. HRP was automatically awarded if a person claimed certain benefits. In other circumstances, an application for HRP is required on form CF411.

Automatic Awards of Home Responsibilities Protection

Child Benefit

HRP was awarded automatically to a person who claimed Child Benefit for a child under 16 for a full tax year. However, if a person first claimed Child Benefit before 15 May 2000 and did not put their National Insurance number on their claim, their National Insurance record may not show the correct number of qualifying years of HRP.

HMRC is writing to people identified as potentially missing HRP, inviting them to apply for HRP if eligible. If a person believes HRP is missing from their National Insurance record, they can apply for HRP on form CF411.

Income Support

HRP was also automatically awarded to a person who received Income Support for a full tax year while they were caring for a person with a disability or long-term illness.

Who has to make a claim for HRP

HRP Transfers

A person whose partner received Child Benefit and who wants to transfer HRP from them - see NIM41331.

Other full-time carers

Those who were regularly engaged in caring, for at least 35 hours per week, for a person to whom prescribed benefits were payable for at least 48 weeks of the relevant tax year (see NIM41340) can claim HRP but must provide evidence of the qualifying benefit paid to the person they cared for.

Regulations 2(5)(b) and (c) of the 1994 regulations provide a time limit for claiming HRP as a full-time carer:

  • For tax years 6 April 1978 to 5 April 2002 there is no time limit
  • For tax years 6 April 2002 to 5 April 2010 a 3-year time limit applies, and it is now too late to claim. For example, applications had to be made by 5 April 2013 for the tax year 6 April 2009 to 5 April 2010.

Foster Parents/Carers

Foster parents/carers can claim HRP for tax years 6 April 2003 to 5 April 2010. There is no time limit for claiming but they must provide a letter with their application confirming that they were appropriately registered as a foster parent/carer throughout the relevant tax year. For more information on HRP for foster parents/carers, see NIM41335.

Applications for periods from 6 April 2010

Weekly Class 3 National Insurance ‘Credits for Parents and Carers’ replaced HRP from 6 April 2010 for parents and foster parents (see NIM41250 onwards).

Carer’s Credit, administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, replaced HRP from 6 April 2010 for persons caring for a sick or disabled person.